We spent a very pleasant long weekend as guests of Ruth and John, Kirsty’s in-laws, who live in a small village close to Liverpool. We toured extensively around the Liverpool area and some of the highlights were listening to their…
Adventures with Angus
Bruce and Angus spent part of the school holidays going on a few adventures around East Sussex. First, we went to the Bluebell Railway which runs from East Grinstead to Sheffield Park using a vintage steam train and similar-era carriages.…
For all the saints…
St Michael’s Mount is a small island very close to the coast which you can walk to at low tide. At the top is a castle and chapel, the oldest part of which dates to the twelfth century. It is…
Exploring The Lizard
The Lizard is a peninsula in the south of Cornwall – in fact, it is the southernmost part of the British Isles (and who of you duffers thought that was Land’s End)? A strange name, but nothing to do with…
Cornwall – a stunning landscape
We learned that Vivienne and Nigel were travelling to Cornwall and, being the scroungers that we are, invited ourselves over to stay with them. Nigel’s family home is in the village of Cadgwith in the south of Cornwall, close to the Lizard…
And a Happy New Year to you, too
Welcome back to a new year of blogs from Ireland and Europe. Last year finished with a bit of a bang as we celebrated Christmas (twice!) and New Year in England. Kirsty and Richard and Sarah and Chris and their…
The Troubles in Belfast
We bought a hop on, hop off bus pass shortly after arriving in Belfast. This let us tour the city at will for 48 hours, which we did three times. The first time was just to give us a general…
Belfast
We have noticed that many people in NZ are a little hazy on the geography of Ireland, so to start, a brief lesson. The island of Ireland is about 80% occupied by the Republic of Ireland whose capital city is…
YSJ campus
The campus of York St John University is relatively small but it is an oasis of quiet with its weathered old buildings (but some new ones, too) and beautifully-manicured gardens. Of course, the students are on holiday and probably so…
Flamborough
On Thursday, with the conference finished, we went on a day trip to the coast to see our friend Moira, who lives in the village of Flamborough. It’s a drive of just under 2 hours through the rolling Yorkshire countryside,…